Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial is a national memorial located in the capital of Australia, Canberra. It was built as a dedication to all the people who have participated or died in the wars of the Commonwealth of Australia.

The idea of creating a museum memorial to Australian soldiers came first from the Australia’s official World War I historian Charles Bean.

The Memorial was established in 1941 and in the same year opened its doors officially.

The Australian War Memorial is a two floor building built in a Byzantine architecture style with elements of the style Art Deco.

The Building includes the Commemorative Area, the Memorial’s galleries (museum), the Research Centre (records) as well as an outdoor Sculpture Garden.

The Commemorative Area took a central place in the memorial building, including the Hall of Memory along with the Tomb of the Unknown Australian Soldier and some other monuments.

The Hall of Memory is tall domed chapel with an octagon shape. From the floor to the dome all the walls are beautifully depicted with tiny mosaic tiles that represent images of three soldiers also an image of a service woman.

In front of the Hall of Memory can be seen a narrow courtyard above which are located long cloisters, including a series of bronze plaques called Roll of Honour. The plaques are engraved with the names of the 102, 000 Australian servicemen and women who participated and died in the Second Boer War, the Boxer Rebellion as well as in the World War I and World War II.

The Commemorative Area is a place where ceremonies are held on the occasion of Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

The Memorial’s new galleries “Conflicts 1945 to today” opened its gates in 2008, displaying a variety of items based on the conflicts in Korea, Borneo, Malaya, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Memorial’s Research Centre contains a large base of information about Australian military history and the Memorial’s collections.

The Sculpture Garden is situated on the west lawn of the Australian War Memorial, hosted a great number of monuments such as commemorative bronze plaques, sculptures, gun turret from HMAS Brisbane also gun barrels from the heavy cruiser HMAS Australia and from the Amiens Gun.

Every year, on the Memorial Open Days service, the Sculpture Garden becomes a place for a statement of special displays.

The Memorial is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

Address:
Australian War Memorial
Treloar Crescent
Campbell ACT 2612
Australia

Tel: 02 6243 4211

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